NEWSFLASH: Toe Nail Fell Off 2

5th December, 2009

I've been waiting for this moment for a while now.

The second toenail on my left foot - let's call him Fred - has been black since the Brussels marathon, threatening to fall off. For the New York marathon, I strapped him on with zinc oxide tape, but to be honest he'd already given up the ghost.

Not even a post-marathon pedicure at New York's uberspa, Townhouse could save him.








Nope, Fred had had enough of this world, he wanted to go.

Tired of being bumped about endlessly, sweated on and encased in a trainer, he dreamt of a more glamorous life, of Christian Louboutin, parties and pedicures.















And so, this Saturday, after a particularly intense dance class, Fred The Nail gave in, abandoning his nine brothers and sisters, jumping off, hoping for a better time in the next life. The nine remaining nails wait and watch in earnest to see if another nail will grow back in his place...

NYC: Post-Marathon

1 December, 2009

I know, I know. I haven't updated for ages. I've been busy and I didn't think anyone would notice. Some of you did and here we go, this is for you:

NEW YORK, After the marathon

After partying pretty hard on Sunday evening, wearing our medals, we woke up ridiculously early and ridiculously stiff on Monday morning.















I had come off pretty well, and had to cope with some pretty stiff quads, one blister, some rubbing from my sports bra and a very sore neck (the physio says the neck pain could be caused by the knee injury because "the body is like a train of dominoes").

We did some stretching and took a stroll across the beautiful autumnal Central Park to the Lexington Candy Store.






















On the way we picked up a copy of the New York Times, where we were both named in the Marathon Special pull out. There we sat, eating, relaxing and planning the rest of the trip, mainly around the shops, bars and restaurants we were going to visit. The rest of the trip passed in a blur of fun, with one of the highlights being a visit to the newly created High Line Park.

The High Line is a disused railway for short-haul freight trains which has been converted in to an elevated park. It's located on Manhattan's West Side, running from Gansevoort Street in the Meatpacking District to 34th Street, between 10th & 11th Avenues. It is beautiful and free to enter so if you are in NYC definitely take a look.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/nov/08/highline-new-york-garden-martin




















Back in Brussels, I was straight back to work and off to the thrilling Annual European Bond Conference at the Conrad Hotel. After sleepwalking my way through the two day conference, I rewarded myself with a weekend of culture and relaxing in Amsterdam.

I've had so many people say watching me train for the marathon has been inspirational, spurred them to go to the gym more, or made them think - just for a second - about running a marathon themselves, that I've decided to set up a running club, launching in the new year, to provide support and encouragement to people who already run and to show those that don't the benefits that can be derived from running and how easy it becomes if you put your mind to it.

The support and kindness and understanding I've been shown while training and while coping with the injury has been really humbling, but the biggest compliment I received came from a fellow reporter, a hardcore, scary Polish hack, who until now has barely spoken to me: "You ran a marathon, then from now on, I look at you with respect."

26.2: NEW YORK MARATHON

1st November 2009

The day of the marathon dawned and we were up super early and bussed out to Staten Island.

The atmosphere on the coach was a mixture of anticipation and heightened nerves: people feeding off each other, offering encouragement and reassurance and swapping stories about their training, their previous runs and their various injuries. I found the constant chatter quite difficult to manage, preferring a quieter approach, and was happy to sit - somewhat unsociably - pensively and silently in my seat.

I needed time to prepare mentally for the day ahead. Throughout training, I hadn't allowed myself to entertain the prospect of not being able to finish the race, I hadn't let myself think about what a serious problem the knee injury could be or what I would do if it totally gave way.

Now, I allowed myself time to think through those issues and plan what I would do in each situation, thinking about how I would start the race, how I would finish it and how I would approach the water stops, the cameras and the "dreaded" bridges.




















Lining up at the start, I had a sudden rush of energy and the realisation that I COULD DO IT.

Somewhere deep down I knew it was going to be fine. This was it: one final push.

All that stood between me and glory were 26.2 measly miles and around five hours. A stereo pumped out the Jay-Z and Alicia Keys song Empire State Of Mind

In New York,
Concrete jungle where dreams are made of,
There's nothing you can’t do,
Now you’re in New York,
These streets will make you feel brand new,
The lights will inspire you,
Let's here it for New York, New York, New York

And then we were off.




















The first two miles were "bitty": I wasn't comfortable, in a sort of nervous frenzy, I couldn't visualise finishing, I wanted to run as fast as I could but was unsure of my pace, worried about my knee. On top of that I felt claustrophobic as other runners wove around in front of me on the bridge, each looking for his own space in the shoal. Thoughts of other things going on in my life turned over and over in my head: work, love, life, death.

I needed better focus.

Coming off the bridge, we wound around a slip road and caught sight of the first supporters. One of them held a banner: "You're About To Do Something Totally Amazing, SMILE!"

And so I did.

I kept it together and smiled all the way up 4th Avenue in Brooklyn, cruising past the 10K mark in 55 minutes. The crowds were incredible, 20 people deep, clapping, shouting, whooping, offering up tissues, energy bars, drinks, donuts and sponges. A women wearing gold trainers sped past me in a blur, yelling "C'mon Brooklyn, I can't hear ya." Brooklyn yelled back riotously.














At the halfway point, 13.1 miles, on the Pulaski Bridge, which connects Greenpoint in Brooklyn to Long Island City in Queens over Newtown Creek, I felt invincible. I knew my time was fast, just shy of 1 hr 59 mins and I thought I could keep it up. I imagined myself crossing the finish line in under 4 hours!

Darkness hit me around the 15 mile mark in Queens. The bank of supporters was at its thinnest and the horrendous Queensboro Bridge loomed large. The acute pain from my knee had transferred itself to my left bum cheek and was making itself very evident. I thought I might not make it over the bridge, which connects Queens with Manhattan, passing over Roosevelt Island in the East River. It's the star of the poster for Woody Allen's film Manhattan, where Woody and Diane Keaton sit on a bench, looking out at the bridge.

I took an energy gel, a dextrose tablet, an ibuprofen and gave myself a pep talk. I remembered my mum's endless refrain when teaching me to swim: "Keep kicking, keep kicking." What came next is a blur, up 1st Avenue in Manhattan. I remember miles 16, 17 and 18 being particularly bleak: long, hard, slow, heavy-legged.

Somewhere between miles 19 and 20 I regained my stride. We crossed in to The Bronx over the Willis Avenue Bridge and a man with a portable mic was beat boxing using a mic and a portable stereo. "You can do it, put your back into it." A woman held a banner, "Run the last six miles with your heart." A second banner read "If your feet hurt it's because you're kicking ass." A third: "Pain is temporary, pride is forever."




















Coming off the Madison Avenue Bridge and back in to Manhattan, an Australian woman shouted, "What's five miles?"

What indeed.

The end of the race was very emotional: I knew I was running well and was set for a good time. Suddenly I found myself transported back to the Bois de la Cambre in Brussels, where I'd first began training for this marathon. I remembered in particular one gorgeous early morning run of about four miles I'd done in May, where - after a very difficult relocation from London - I'd been able to see for the first time the benefits of my move, the wider view of what was happening in my life, and that my reasons for moving and all my hard work were coming to fruition. They were all culminated in that one run, with the sun coming up over the man-made lake in the park.

I became very circumspect and a bit teary, thinking about how and why life picks us up and drops us off at different, funny places without reason. I felt very lucky now to be dropped here, in Central Park, in this, the most glorious, sweet and perfect moment.

Crossing the line I was ecstatic, much happier than I'd been when I finished the Edinburgh marathon and with a much greater sense of achievement. I felt I could have gone further, I didn't want this fantastic feeling to come to an end.




















It was - without doubt - one of the most wonderful moments of my life, something I will remember forever, I only wish I had the depth of memory to encapsulate and preserve every detail, every supporter who willed me on, every banner that made me smile and each and every runner who crossed the line alongside me.

Total Time: 4 hrs 15 mins 5 secs
Average per mile: 09:45

New York - The Lead Up To The Big Day

Pre-Marathon

Arriving in New York at about 4pm on Friday, we scooted over to the official Expo to pick up our race numbers and join in the pre-race build up.

I’ve been to marathon expos before – in Edinburgh and in Brussels – but the New York one was a lot bigger and a lot more commercial. All the big name brands touted for business: racks and racks of brightly coloured lycra were interspersed with banners carrying huge logos: Asics, Adidas, Nike, Mizuno.

Stall after stall offered caps, gels, water, fingerless gloves, pac-a-macs and whole host of other things you never knew you needed but all of a sudden wanted.

I took a shine to the Asics official marathon rain jacket but decided $120 was a bit steep and settled for The Stick – a self massage tool – instead, hoping it might aid my recovery and the ongoing problem of my knee.

The Stick is a space-age plastic rod covered with spindles which roll independently over the muscle. It’s supposed to provide a “stripping massage” to your muscles by pin-pointing the tender spots. Apparently the US Olympic team use them...

Buoyed up with our new purchases and our race numbers and chips, we headed over to The Spotted Pig in the West Village, where we shared a Brooklyn Brewery “Local 1” – brewed in NYC – and the attentions of two locals, who delighted in our English accents and marathon running prowess. Their special brand of all-American enthusiasm and confidence was infectious, reminding me how special this experience was going to be and what an incredible achievement running a marathon is.

After putting away a goat cheese and onion tart, a cheese burger and shoestring fries and a massive slice of banoffee pie, we both glazed over, as jetlag and food induced stupor set in, morphing us in to one of those couples that sit across from each other not speaking. Home to bed was the only option!

Saturday morning came along with the pre-marathon jog in Central Park. This was one of my favourite parts of the trip. The park was beautiful and we ran three slow and achy miles around Jackie Onassis Lake.

A trip to Brooklyn to visit some relatives of mine and indulge in marathon-boosting pasta and American style trick or treating rounded the day off and I went to bed feeling relaxed and ready for the next day...

HOME!

And so I've made it home in one piece, having completed the marathon in 4 hours 15 minutes and 5 seconds! You can link to search for my official time here.



















It was such an incredible experience I'm going to split my posts in to three: pre-marathon, marathon and post-marathon, more to follow very soon!

Three Days To Go - Packing

Packing The Suitcase And A Word On The Weather...


Off to a bad start today when I opened my case and a massive greeny-brown spider scuttled out, leaving me to get rid of its web before I could start packing.

It's amazing how much stuff you need to run a marathon, at the bottom left you can see all my pills and gels and energy tablets, then two pairs of trainers, 2 outfits, warm clothes to wear pre-race and throw away. This shot doesn't even include non-marathon stuff.

Everyone talks about the bit of the NYC marathon where you have to line up for hours at the start line before the race gets underway. It's because they shut the bridges so everyone has to be bussed over before that. To keep warm, most people wear an outfit they are going to discard.

Paula Radcliffe has shared some gems of wisdom on this and the other difficulties of the NYC marathon here:

"New York is a difficult one in terms of the start because everybody has to get out to Staten Island and people doing it for the first time don't realise how early you have to get out there and how long you're out there," Radcliffe said.

"The other thing is that the road surface is very different in New York to London. "Where London is pretty good tarmac most of the way, in New York there's a lot of concrete and a lot of potholes! So when you're running with a lot of people you have to keep your eyes down and be very aware - a lot of people twist ankles.

"There's a bridge when you go into the Bronx - around 18/20 miles - and that's metal grid. That's pretty hard on your feet at that stage as well."

Weather forecast for Sunday not looking so hot:

Seven DAYS To Go - Final Prep...

Monday 26th October, 2009

It's now just seven days until we run the marathon and a mere four until we jet off to New York. To get in to the right mindset, I've been trying to push all doubts about my fitness and my injury out of my mind and focus on the more important aspects: like what I'm going to wear and how much fun being in New York is going to be.

I was further buoyed up after a few more generous donations pushed us over our fundraising target and an Edinburgh based friend of mine pointed me towards articles on visualization.

The aim is to visualize - in great detail - yourself racing, imagining how the race will look, and what you are likely to see, hear and smell (ew) along the way. The theory is that once you have visualized the entire thing, you will be better placed to do it because - in your head at least - you already have.

My outfit for the big day:

And so I tried to visualized myself on the morning of the marathon, what I am going to wear, eat and what I will take with me to the race.

I found it very helpful indeed - especially for remembering certain things to take with me - and very reassuring that I definitely will be able to complete the marathon - now I can see myself doing it!

One week to go and I am sure, whatever happens, I know I can finish the NEW YORK MARATHON, Eeeek!

13 Days To Go - Anticipation Building!

Saturday 17th October, 2009

This week has been mainly about the ice-pack and the glucadol tablets, in a bid to shore up the knee ahead of the marathon. I can't believe it's only 2 weeks to go, I am getting more and more excited.

Having an injury gives me time to focus on things other than getting around the course and in what time, I've been thinking a lot about how I'll feel on the day, the atmosphere, the sense of achievement and, most importantly, my outfit for the big day.

On YouTube I found this awesome video of the course for inspiration.







On Saturday, I ran ten rainy slow miles in the forest, to keep myself in the game. It was hard going and my knee burt but most importantly, I made it round the ten and am now totally focused on the big day...!

20 Days To Go - Kingston

Sunday 11th October, 2009

Back in London to attend a wedding, I had also signed up to run 16 miles in Kingston. With the knee still causing me trouble, I had to drop out after 8 miles, which was a bit frustrating, but again, necessary to make sure I am in shape for NYC in 20 DAYS!!!











After dropping out of the race, I went to see the onsight physio, who said I need much more stretching and possibly a knee brace. He gave me a deep tissue massage, for my ITB, resulting in massive bruising all up the left hand side of my thigh:















Ran: 7.99 miles
Time: 74 mins
Pace: 9.25 mins per mile

Yoga For Runners

Wednesday 7th October, 2009

Competing in the Brussels marathon reminded me just how tough a marathon is.

Duh, I hear you cry, but to be honest, I think I had fallen in to a bit of a false sense of security, knowing that I'd run a marathon before had made me self-assured and cocky.

Monday's muscle tightness, sore knee and general fatigue quickly saw to that, and as well as concentrating on my diet and water intake, I decided to explore the benefits of yoga. Something had to loosen these damn muscles!

Running is a great workout for the heart and lungs, but breeds lower body strength and upper body instability because it works a certain set of muscles and has a limited range of motion, often leading to tightness and overworked joints.

That, according to my book, Run for Life, is where cross training, like yoga or swimming can come in. Yoga helps with balance, muscle stretching, breathing and flexibility. It also gets blood pumping around the body, aiding the healing of injuries and the meditative aspect is good for the mind.

With this in mind, I trotted off to the Yoga College of India.

If it's good enough for Jennifer Aniston, it's good enough for me!















Bikram Yoga is a series of 27 postures and two breathing exercises, which take place during a 90 minute class held in a room heated to around 36 degrees C. To me - the lay-person - most of the exercises seemed to be advanced stretches, and there were some incredibly flexible people in my class!

Some of the poses were difficult to bend in to, but I managed to have a go at each one and the instructor was very helpful, highlighting the benefits of each move.

Afterwards I felt great: relaxed and well stretched. I will definitely be going again as the NYC Marathon draws ever nearer.

Gross Photo, Sore Knee

Tuesday 6th October, 2009

Here is a lovely photo of me just after I stopped running at the weekend... and some other photos of the marathon.

The knee has been pretty bad these past few days, I am icing it, resting it and hoping for the best.




















The start, pro runners:
















Inside one of the tunnels:

















The finish, in the Grand Place:

















And finally, only in Brussels:

Three Weeks To Go - Eating 21 Miles For Breakfast

4th October 2009

With the knee rested for over a week, I returned to Brussels feeling a bit more upbeat. I'd been chomping the painkillers and anti-inflammatory drugs and wasn't feeling any pain.

With the New York Marathon just 28 days away I was acutely aware of the need to do a long run. The Long Run part of the training is very important, not only from a physical point of view but also from a mental point of view. Completing it reassures you that the massive distance involved in the marathon is achievable and also allows you to try out certain things, for example using gels, drinking water, setting the right pace and generally getting a sense of how you will feel on the day and what problems could crop up.

A few weeks ago, before encountering my injury, I'd entered the Brussels Marathon and I decided that I would start it and see how far I could get. If my knee began to hurt I would drop out, but in a best case scenario I would be able to do 21 or 22 miles, thus covering off my Long Run.

The Brussels Marathon is tiny in terms of competitor numbers, with just 2,000 runners, compared to New York's 37,000 or London's 30,000. Even Edinburgh, the other marathon I have run, had 13,000.

It's also a very fast marathon, with a 5 hour cut-off. No beginners here.

Arriving at the start, in the shadow of the Arc de Triomphe in the Park Cinquantenaire, built when Belgium celebrated 50 years of independence in 1880, it became very obvious that this was a marathon for SERIOUS RUNNERS. Nearly everyone had a gel belt and a lot of serious kit. There weren't that many women.

I suppose the reason is that the Brussels course isn't particularly pretty, the city itself isn't a major holiday destination and finally that the course is very hilly, so there's no likelihood of getting your best time. Here's the profile:












The Brussels marathon has a team of professional pace-setters who aim to set a steady pace for runners who want to reach the finish line at a certain time. There are seven sets of 2 runners, each with massive coloured balloons on their backs for a certain time, ranging from 2 hrs 59 - Pink balloon to 4hrs 3o - orange balloons.


I lined up with the Orange balloon team and was quickly introduced to John and Terry, who said there were "our grandparents" and would look after us for the run. They were both fairly old but super fit and running with them was great.

I remembered my Edinburgh marathon experience where I had been really concentrating on my time, wearing a pace band, continually checking my watch. It was quite stressful. Following a pacemaker completely removes that and allows you to focus on the race itself. I will definitely follow one in New York.


The race went well, with good weather conditions. I found myself reminded of why I love running and the sense of immense personal achievement I derive from it. Brussels is a very green city, and the route goes through the woods and out to the beautiful Africa Museum before returning to the city and ending in the Grand Place.











The city also has a lot of traffic tunnels, and this, in terms of a marathon, means a lot of running down in to the tunnel and up out of the other side. I feared for my knee entering the first one but tried to concentrate on my breathing and "running from my core." Up and down, it was fine.

Reaching the half marathon at 2 hrs 15, I took a gel - vanilla flavoured, and powered on. The knee pain kicked in. I took 2 paracetamol.












Stopping after 21 miles was tough. Part of me really wanted to carry on to the finish but I was in a lot of pain and acutely aware of how long it took me to recover from the Edinburgh marathon. My main focus is on New York and being able to get round the course and enjoying it. So I stopped and walked the remaining 5 miles. Almost everyone passed me and a policeman drove past, closing the course.

Handing my chip in at the Grand Place I felt great. The New York marathon is in my sights and all feelings of letting myself or my running buddy down were gone.

Link to my official marathon time, here

Time for 21.02 miles: 3 hrs 36 mins
Average Pace: 10 mins 16 seconds/mile

Overall time for marathon: 5 hrs 9 minutes

Four Weeks To Go - Riddled With Injury

29th September, 2009

This week has been fairly depressing.

After the joy of the new trainers passed I somehow managed to injure my knee. Last week's short runs were all cut short by a nagging pain around the bottom and outside of my left knee cap.











I had to give up after 3 miles on Wednesday and then - perhaps stupidly - opted to go out again on Thursday and couldn't make it any further than about a mile and a half. Turning home I felt really, really dejected. I wondered if I hadn't stretched enough after my 10 mile run last Tuesday.

After resting for a few days (Friday and Saturday) I tried to go out for a long run on Sunday afternoon with my friend and running buddy, Natalia. Setting off in the Bois de la Cambre, we tracked down in to the woods - all was going well, but after about seven miles, we ran down a sharp slope and the knee pain came back. I tried to push on through the pain and keep going but eventually had to stop and we walked for a mile before trying to start running again. It was no use as the pain continued to get worse and after another mile or so we had to stop and walk the rest of the way home.

I felt very dejected as I've never experienced anything like this before.

Getting in to a negative mindset is awful. I began to worry that I won't be fit enough for New York. I really started to beat myself up about not stretching enough, not putting in enough miles or getting enough sleep and finally I started to think I haven't been taking the training seriously enough, perhaps the knowledge that I've already run a marathon has made me a bit complacent about training for the next one.












Work took me and my foul mood to the Swedish city, Goteborg, where I had a lot of time to think on my strategy going forward. The most important thing for me at this point is to be able to get around the marathon course in New York, preferably running the whole way. Using my best Swedish, I bought some ibuprofen and some ibuprofen gel for the knee and did a few stretches.














Through a friend, I managed to find a drop in physioclinic in Gotenburg. http://www.sportrehab.se/

After a good deal of prodding around and "provoking" me, the physio, diagnosed an "overuse" injury inside the joint.

If you over-exercise your knee you can aggravate the cartilage and another layer called the meniscus, which cushion the impact when you run.

At best, the area becomes inflamed and at worst it can begin to tear away from the joint. He didn't seem to think that mine wasn't torn (I would be in a lot more pain if it were) just inflamed.

The good news is that it isn't a problem with the knee cap or the muscles surrounding the knee or the tendons, as these kind of problems are more serious. He seemed confident it would heal, but said the meniscus area has bad blood supply and therefore takes - on average - longer to heal.

The anti-inflammatory gel wouldn't work, he said, because the aggravation is inside the joint, too deep to be reached with gel. So the bad news is he was VERY evasive about how long it would take and said I should "reassess" my plans to run the marathon and "throw my training schedule out of the window."

Me: "Yes but I am running a marathon in 4.5 weeks, I need to train."

Physio: "Well, you rest now, you may be ok for the marathon, you train hard now, maybe your knee problem comes back and you have to run the last 10k of the marathon in pain, you do yourself a great deal of damage, you get in to a vicious cycle."

And so I left with a downbeat feeling, some anti inflamatory drugs and a recommendation to rest before starting low level exercise like biking or walk-run-walk.

I am to take Voltaren for 10 days - which contains 25mg of diclofenac (picture below). It is a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory which could cause "severe stomach pain" according to the physio - YUM!